1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an article of footwear, such as a shoe or boot, and more particularly a shoe or boot intended for the practice of sporting activities.
This article of footwear can be used in fields such as walking, including power walking, or running on flat or mountainous terrain, mountaineering, snowboarding, ball-playing sports, or the like.
2. Background Information
A shoe may include a low upper or a high upper or a mid-upper. The shoe may also be relatively flexible or otherwise more rigid. However, irrespective of its general appearance or the activity being practiced, a shoe must meet the expectations of a user, who should be able to perform all movements required by the activity, transmit impulse forces, receive supporting forces, or perceive sensory information coming from the ground or various elements.
In particular, when walking or running on flat or mountainous terrain, it is important for the shoe to enable good foot rolling movement longitudinally, on the one hand, and transverse supports, on the other hand. This means in particular that the sole assembly of the shoe must be capable of bending longitudinally, along a transverse axis, while having sufficient transverse bending strength, at least in certain zones. To meet these needs, the prior art has proposed solutions.
For example, according to the document FR 2457081, a shoe includes a sole assembly structured to allow longitudinal bending while preventing or strongly opposing transverse bending. In practice, the sole assembly disclosed in this document includes a reinforcing layer embedded in a matrix. The reinforcement layer includes transverse slits which, by definition, extend through the thickness of the layer and also open out in the area of a lateral edge or in the area of a medial edge of the layer. Two successive slits open out in the area of a different edge of the layer. The shoe according to the document FR 2457081 is satisfactory insofar as the user can perform the movements necessary to the activity; in particular, the user can freely move the foot and take strong transverse supports. The transverse supports are stable because, between two slits, the reinforcement provides transverse stiffness to the sole assembly. However, this shoe has certain drawbacks.
Indeed, the shoe appears to have a reduced grip on the ground. This means, for example, that the shoe may slip when subject to a bias that would otherwise be insufficient to cause a shoe, of the same size and without a reinforcing layer, to slip. This phenomenon of slippage or undesired sliding can occur when taking supports on the ground, especially on a slope, and in the presence of impulses related to acceleration, braking, or the like. The phenomenon of slippage or undesired sliding also occurs in the transverse direction. As a result, walking or running is less accurate and less reliable, which is a paradox causing fatigue for the user.